Before the pandemic Leslie Saber was a professional photographer. Now she snaps pictures on her phone while working for Washington State Ferries. (Photo by Leslie Saber)
With millions of Americans unemployed, some are choosing to do a career 180 to jump back into the workforce. For the past 15 years, Seattle’s Leslie Saber has worked as a professional photographer.
“Events and weddings, big corporate events and parties,” Saber said. “One hundred percent of that business has dried up.”
So she went a completely different direction. Saber is now a a terminal attendant for Washington State Ferries, a job that started out seasonal but has been extended indefinitely.
“I started training March 16, which was the day of the shutdown,” said Saber. “Ever since then the world turned upside down. But actually, instead of a 180 it was a 360 for me because I found where I belong, I found great people to work with and a job that’s different and exciting and interesting every day.”
“Exciting” isn’t hyperbole — two weeks ago, lightning struck a ferry in Edmonds while Saber was working her shift.
“The clouds started turning dark, I went outside to take a picture because: Photographer!” Saber laughed. “And then the person on the boat said, ‘Oh, there was just some lightening that was horizontal, it looked really cool.’ So I stepped towards it to see if I could get a picture of the lightening and a moment later the world exploded. The lightening bolt hit the tunnel and knocked me off my feet and slammed my knees to the ground.”
Saber offers some advice for others who might be struggling to go through an unexpected career transition.
“One of the things that I embraced is the fact that what I do is not who I am. Our culture really does define us as what you do is who you are. So that has really helped me reinvent.”
Brittany Bardeleben has been the head pastry chef at Dahlia Bakery and Tom Douglas Restaurants since 2011. This was her dream job.
“On Fridays I would go home excited because it was my weekend. And then Mondays I would get excited because it was Monday and I’m starting my week,” Bardeleben said. “It was pretty great.”
But in March, Seattle chef and restaurateur Tom Douglas made the decision to close all of his restaurants.
“We were all laid off, it was a temporary thing, it would be about eight weeks. But he also made it pretty clear that he didn’t know and they had no idea what this was going to turn into. When [Governor] Jay Inslee gave those stay-at-home orders Tom had to ask himself if we were…
Read More: Seattleites are doing career 180s to escape pandemic unemployment